Three years ago, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind
Act (NCLB), which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a
law first passed in 1965. The new law reflected an unprecedented, bipartisan commitment
to ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, receive a quality
education. To reach this goal, NCLB refocused federal education programs on the
principles of stronger accountability for results, more choices for parents and students,
greater flexibility for states and school districts, and the use of research-based instructional
methods.

States, school districts and schools are still doing the hard work of implementing
NCLB, and the early returns are promising. Recent studies of state achievement data
show that reading and mathematics scores are up in most states, and that achievement
gaps among racial and ethnic groups have begun to narrow. A majority of states have
reported that more schools met the state-set achievement goals ("adequate yearly
progress" or "AYP") in the 2003-04 school year than in the previous year.
Since the enactment of No Child Left Behind, President Bush and the U.S. Department
of Education have worked with states to help schools to quickly and effectively
implement the new law. Federal funding has contributed to the broad increase in national
expenditures for elementary and secondary education over the years since Fiscal Year
2001, the year before the passage of NCLB.

An increase of $4.6 billion, or 52 percent, for Title I Grants for economically disadvantaged
students, which go directly to local education agenciesthe key drivers of
NCLB reforms; and

A $4.8 billion, or 75 percent, increase for grants to states under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we're closing the achievement gap for minority students.  President George W. Bush

These additional resources have been invested in the education system in exchange
for the stronger accountability measures called for under No Child Left Behind. States
have set academic achievement standards and annual goals (AYP) to ensure that all
students are reading and doing mathematics at grade level by school year 2013-14.
Beginning in the 2005-06 school year, all students in grades three through eight will be
assessed in those core subjects to help teachers and principals identify weaknesses and
make needed changes in instructional practices. These assessments also help schools
and districts measure their performance as a whole.

Chicago public school children who transferred from schools in need of improvement to higher performing schools under NCLB showed substantial improvements in reading and math scores.  Chicago Sun-Times, April 25, 2004

A critical change in measuring performance under No Child Left Behind is that
schools must disaggregate the data so that all student groupsincluding poor and
minority students, students with limited English proficiency, and students with disabilities
are measured. This disaggregation of test scores ensures that students, including
those traditionally left behind, are no longer hidden in school averages and that every
student receives the quality education he or she deserves.

Schools with economically disadvantaged students (Title I schools) that do not make
sufficient progress toward these state-set progress goals for two consecutive years are
identified for improvement, and students attending such schools are given the option of
transferring to better-performing public schools. Students from low-income families
attending schools identified for improvement for two or more years may obtain supplemental
educational services, such as tutoring and other academic assistance, from stateapproved
public- or private-sector providers, with costs paid by the school district.

Most of the progress in education during President Bush's first term was at the
elementary school level, where No Child Left Behind Act programs target most of their
resources. However, in too many school districts across the nation, the longer students
stay in school, the more they fall behind, with far too many students ultimately dropping
out altogether. President Bush has called recent evidence of poor performance by
America's high schools "a warning, and a call to action."

We have ample evidence that our high schools are not adequately preparing
students to compete in the workforce or succeed in the pursuit of higher education.
For every 100 17-year-olds, only 72 high school diplomas are awarded each year.
For every 100 young adults, only 27 will have graduated with a four-year college
degree. The ratios for minority students are even lower. For example, for every 100
black 17-year-olds, only 64 diplomas are awarded, and among 100 black young
adults, only 15 get a college degree.

We're leaving behind the old attitude that it's okay for some students just to be shuffled through the system. That's not okay.
 President George W. Bush

In addition, recent international assessments show that our high school students
score well behind those in other nations in key subjects such as mathematics. Because
most well-paying jobs in our technology-based, globally competitive economy
require at least some postsecondary education, the failure to provide our high school
students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed literally places our
national prosperity at risk.

We know that students are not prepared; the causes are evident, and the effects
are known. Only 24 states require at least three years of math to graduate from high
school, and only 21 require three years of science. According to the College Board,
only 60 percent of high schools offer Advanced Placement courses.

According to the fifth annual Reality Check, a 2002 study by Public Agenda and
Education Week on the nation's progress in raising academic standards in public
schools, 73 percent of employers rated high school graduates' writing, grammar and
spelling skills as "fair" or "poor"; 63 percent rated their basic math skills as "fair" or
"poor." College professors gave very similar ratings. And students who do not
complete high school face a lifetime of lowered expectations, a lower income, and a
greater chance of being unemployed. For example, in 2000, the average full-time
annual earnings of a male high school graduate were $36,770, compared to $28,832
for a non-graduate and $24,692 for a worker with an eighth-grade education. The
benefits of college were even more striking, with male college graduates earning
almost $78,000 annually.

Helping states, school districts, and schools meet the challenge of successfully
implementing the No Child Left Behind Act remains one of President Bush's highest
priorities. The 2006 budget request would provide increased investments in core
federal elementary and secondary education programs such as Title I Grants to Local
Educational Agencies and Part B Grants to States under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). These programs allow states and schools greater
flexibility to focus resources on their own specific needs. Title I grants will increase
by $603 million this year under the president's budget, while IDEA state grants will
increase by $508 million. The Department would also continue its efforts to expand
parental choices, with $50 million for a new Choice Incentive Fund; support research with $164 million for research and development; back scientifically based reading
programs with over $1.1 billion for the Reading First and Early Reading First programs;
assist non-English speaking students with $676 million for English language acquisition
state grants; and provide almost $1 billion for after-school programs.

The president's 2006 request includes a comprehensive proposal that builds on the
stronger accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act to improve the quality
of secondary education and ensure that every student not only graduates from high
school, but graduates prepared to enter college or the workforce with the skills to
succeed.

The president's budget provides nearly $1.5 billion for this High School Initiative,
and includes $1.24 billion for a High School Intervention initiative that would focus on
strengthening high school education and providing specific interventions. The
president's high school program also includes $250 million to help states develop and
implement new annual High School Assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics
by the 2009-10 school year.

Schools would have great flexibility in designing these interventions, which could
include: (1) programs that combine rigorous academic courses with demanding vocational
and technical education courses to provide students with high-quality academic
and technical training; (2) research-based dropout prevention programs; (3) technologybased
assessment systems to provide teachers and other school officials with regular and
frequent feedback on the achievement of individual students; (4) programs that, beginning
in middle school, prepare students who are at risk of educational failure and dropping
out to succeed academically in high school and to enter postsecondary education;
and (5) college preparation and awareness activities for students from low-income
families.

The president's proposal also includes over $350 million for other high school
programs, including:

We see more students reaching higher levels of achievement on state tests ... more districts and schools moving out of academic emergency and academic watch. And we see more districts and schools meeting adequate yearly progress goals under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.  Susan Tave Zelman, Ohio State Superintendent

A $175 million increase for the Striving Readers program, to significantly expand
the development and implementation of research-based interventions to improve the
skills of teenage students who are reading below grade level;

$120 million for a new Secondary Education Mathematics Initiative that would
provide competitive grants to accelerate the mathematics learning of secondaryschool
students;

A $22 million increase for the Advanced Placement program to expand the availability
of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs in schools with
large populations of low-income students and to train teachers for those programs;

$12 million for State Scholars Capacity Building to increase the number of states
implementing State Scholars programs, which encourage high school students to
complete a rigorous four-year course of study. This proposal would complement the
Enhanced Pell Grants for State Scholars, discussed below; and

$22.5 million increase for the National Assessment of Educational Progress to
implement state-level assessments in reading and mathematics at the 12th grade in
2007.

Notably, the president seeks $500 million to support improvement efforts at all levels
of schooling through a Teacher Incentive Fund that would reward effective teachers,
create incentives to attract qualified teachers to high-need schools, and support innovative,
performance-based compensation systems for the nation's teachers.

Benefits for High School Students

High School Intervention

$1.24 billion

Assessment-based, individualized interventions for at-risk students

High School Assessments

$250 million

New assessments to guide interventions and measure progress in reading and math

Striving Readers

$200 million

Research-based instruction for teens reading below grade level

Community College Access

$125 million

Promote dual-enrollment in college-level courses during high school

Secondary Education Math Initiative

$120 million

Train math teachers in effective instructional methods

Advanced Placement

$51.5 million

Raise the bar and challenge students by expanding availability of AP and IB programs

State Scholars

$45 million

Encourage students to complete rigorous State Scholar curricula; includes Enhanced Pell Grants

The president already has a track record in helping low-income students pay for
higher education, and has been committed to colleges and universities serving minority
groups. But there continues to be a growing need to ensure that students can afford to
go to college or complete other postsecondary training. President Bush already has
substantially increased the amount of grant and loan assistance available to
postsecondary students and their families. Over one million more students receive Pell
grants today than when the president took office. The president also met his commitment
to increase funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities by 40 percent
during his first term. His commitment to Hispanic Serving Institutions for a 30 percent
federal funding increase was also made. But the challenge remains.

For students who choose to pursue a postsecondary education, the president's
budget provides increased funding for the Pell Grant program and ensures the overall
financial stability of the program. Pell Grants provide grant aid to low-income students
and offer critical financial assistance to lower-income studentsthe very students who
are the focus of No Child Left Behindfor pursuing a postsecondary education. The
proposed increases to the maximum Pell Grant award and increased loan limits for
postsecondary students would be paid for through a comprehensive set of student loan
program reforms that would deliver a total of more than $27 billion in benefits to
postsecondary students over the next 10 years.

Pell Grants make it possible for people to go to school who otherwise won't go to school. I think that is money really well spent.  President George W. Bush

Under the president's FY2006 budget, overall postsecondary student financial aid
would increase from $48 billion in FY 2001 to $78 billion in FY 2006, with the number
of recipients rising from 7.7 million to more than 10 million. Under the 2006 request
for the Pell Grant program, funding will have grown by $4.5 billion, or 51 percent, since
FY 2001. The president's budget also retires an accumulated shortfall of $4.3 billion in
Pell Grant fundingwhich had been an impediment to raising the maximum award in
the pastand then raises the Pell award $100 in each of the next five years to a maximum
of $4,550. The proposed $33 million for the Enhanced Pell Grant Program would
give an eligible Pell Grant recipient up to an additional $1,000 in grant assistance for
completing a rigorous State Scholars curriculum in high school.

At the same time, the president's 2006 budget includes a comprehensive set of
proposals to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). These proposals take advantage
of the financial strength of the student loan program, which provides an opportunity
to reduce subsidies to some participants. Those funds would then be reinvested in
increased financial assistance to students while continuing to ensure that competition
and choice will continue to foster improvements in the student loan programs for years
to come. The president's proposal makes both student loan programs more efficient,
ensures that schools and students can continue to choose their lender, and generates $19
billion in savings that can be reinvested in Pell Grants to ensure that all eligible students
receive larger awards in the years ahead. In total, these proposals would generate more
than $27 billion in benefits to students over the next 10 years.

President Bush's proposed FY2006 higher education budget is a step in the right direction for America's families.  James A. Boyle, President, College Parents of America

Providing greater access to economically disadvantaged students to a highquality
education is a major objective of President Bush's FY2006 budget proposal.
Among its many components, the budget's major assistance proposals include:

Strengthening the Pell Grant program by eliminating its budget shortfall while
increasing annual disbursements to qualified students; encouraging students to
take demanding high school courses in order to receive an Enhanced Pell Grant;
and increasing student loan limits to some undergraduate, graduate, and professional
students;

Making permanent the expanded loan forgiveness provisions of the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act of 2004, which would forgive up to $17,500 in student
loans for highly qualified math, science, and special education teachers serving
low-income communities;

Investing $50 million in a new Presidential Math and Science Scholars Program
in order to encourage students to enter the vital fields of mathematics and
science; and

Providing $125 million for Community College Access Grants through the
Department of Education to expand dual enrollment programs designed to boost
college enrollment and completion, especially among low-income students.

Benefits for Postsecondary Students

$19 billion increase for Pell Grants over 10 years to raise the maximum
award to $4,550 and provide grants to 5.5 million low-income students

$13.7 billion for Pell Grants in FY 2006, raising the maximum grant by
$100 and adding 138,000 recipientsmore than 1.2 million more since
the president took office

Retire the cumulative $4.3 billion Pell funding shortfall to restore financial
stability and ensure that all eligible students receive awards

Make students eligible for Pell grants for the whole year

$4.4 billion over 10 years to maintain variable interest rates for student
loans, allowing borrowers to pay as little as 3.37 % this year compared to
the 6.8 % fixed rate scheduled for 2006

Increase annual loan limits to ensure that first- and second-year students
and their families can meet rising costs of postsecondary educationa
$3.1 billion increase

A hopeful America is one in which not one child is left behind.  President George W. Bush

Three years ago, President Bush made a commitment to provide a quality education
for every child and to close the achievement gap that plagued our schools and society.
The president has delivered on his promisethanks to No Child Left Behind, our
nation's schools are making great strides toward ending the soft bigotry of low expectations
and ensuring that all children have the opportunity to learn. But the job is not
done. In the 21st century, education is not confined to the four walls of the schoolhouse,
and learning does not end when students are handed their diploma. Our future is one of
flexibility and change. Whether they choose higher education or the workforce as their
next step after high school, our young adults must have the skills needed to take full
advantage of all the opportunities that await them. High schools are the portal to the
future. A high school diploma must be a ticket to success in the 21st century. We've all
seen the studies that show American students are losing significant ground in reading
and math scores as they enter high school. We can do better, and our students deserve
better. The president's budget proposal provides the blueprint to get the job done.

U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

First published February 2005. Revised March 2005

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Secretary, No Child Left Behind: Expanding the Promise, Guide to President Bush's FY 2006 Education Agenda, Washington, D.C., 2005.

Call in your request toll-free: 1-877-433-7827 (1-877-4-ED-PUBS). If 877 service is not yet available in your area, call 1-800-872-5327 (1-800-USA-LEARN). Those who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a teletypewriter (TTY) should call 1-877-576-7734; or

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department's Alternate Format Center at (202) 260-9895 or (202) 205-8113.